‘You start to see the blessings in this journey’

Nikki Stephens Elba Township When your child is diagnosed with Autism, it changes your perception of the world. You experience a rollercoaster of emotions — grief, guilt and fear. The worst is the fear of what will happen to them when you are gone.

Fortunately, in time, you start to see the blessings in this journey. It’s the teachers like Holly Rajewski that pour their heart and soul into helping your child succeed. It’s paraprofessionals, therapists and even bus drivers who go out of their way to make your child’s day better.

Raising a child with Autism can be isolating and lonely. Often parents are afraid to leave their home for fear of their child having a meltdown in public. I assumed life would always be this way, that I would never really be comfortable taking my son out in public. Which is why I am so thankful for Forever

Friends Network.

FFN is a community of people who understand the confusing and sometimes scary journey of having a child on the spectrum. We celebrate each other’s victories and support each other when one of our kids is struggling. Having FFN makes living with Autism better, because you know you are not alone.

Subscribers to the County Press newspaper can now purchase the complete online and E-Edition of the paper for as little as $5 for three months. If you want a six month subscription to the online edition it is $10 and a full year can be purchased for $20.

Non-subscribers can sign up for the online version for $15 for three months, $30 for six months and $60 for an annual subscription.